Tesla appears to be taking a more serious step to fix the issue of the new 12V Li-Ion batteries failing in Model 3s equipped with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
An emergency software update was deployed today, 2022.4.5.12, which can be downloaded and installed over the vehicle’s LTE connection.
According to a copy of the release notes from an owner who received the update in Germany, Tesla says the range indicator in the vehicle is being calibrated, without providing further details on how exactly that is being accomplished.
Additionally, the release notes recommend charging to 100% even for daily use for a more accurate range estimate. (h/t: @tesla_adri)
UPDATE 9:38pm PST: Here are the release notes in English.
Last week we reported how LFP batteries in recently delivered Model 3s that had not been charged to 100% were over or underestimating the vehicle’s range. This caused the computer to think the car still had 10% of range left when in reality the main battery was already at 0%.
When the main battery died, the 12V Li-Ion battery was also dying, leaving the car stranded and unable to be driven.
Tesla has so far sent pop-up messages telling LFP Model 3 owners their charge limit had been increased to 100%, and recommending they charge as soon as they can to calibrate their batteries.
The issue may be more serious than previously thought, and Tesla is now automatically calibrating the batteries with this emergency software update.
